Floresta Laurissilva
A Floresta Laurissilva tem a sua origem na Era Terciária, onde este tipo de floresta cobria uma vasta área mediterrânea. Actualmente encontra-se confinada à região biogeográfica da Macaronésia zona constituída pelos Arquipélagos da Madeira, Açores, Canárias e Cabo Verde, embora seja na Ilha da Madeira onde se encontre a maior e mais bem conservada mancha de Laurissilva.
Possui uma enorme diversidade de espécies tanto ao nível da Flora como da Fauna onde coabitam em estreita interdependência entre si e com o meio: aves, inúmeros moluscos e insectos endémicos.
Actualmente ocupa uma superfície de 15000 hectares, o que representa 20% do total da ilha, sendo classificada de Património Mundial Natural da UNESCO desde 2 de Dezembro de 1999 e está situada numa faixa que vai desde os 300 aos 1300 metros de altitude.
A Calheta é um dos concelhos contemplados com parte desta mancha de floresta, sendo possível visitá-la programando passeios a pé através dos muitos percursos de água existentes localmente, as levadas.
The Laurissilva Forest of Madeira
The Laurissilva Forest of Madeira has its origin in the Tertiary Era, where this kind of forest covered a great area of the Mediterranean. Nowadays it is confined to the biographic region of Macarronesia, constituted by the Archipelagos of Madeira, Azores, Canaries and Cape Verde, although it is in Madeira Island where it is possible to find the larger and better conserved zone of the Laurissilva forest.
It has a huge diversity of species both in flora and fauna which live together in close interdependence with each other and their environment: birds, many endemic molluscs and insects.
Currently it occupies an area of 15,000 hectares, representing 20% of the island, being classified as World Natural Heritage by UNESCO since December 2, 1999 and is located in a strip ranging from 300 to 1300 meters in altitude.
Calheta is one of the counties that has the privilege of having a parcel of this forest, that everybody can visit by programming walks by foot through the Levadas (water courses).
Currently it occupies an area of 15,000 hectares, representing 20% of the island, being classified as World Natural Heritage by UNESCO since December 2, 1999 and is located in a strip ranging from 300 to 1300 meters in altitude.
Calheta is one of the counties that has the privilege of having a parcel of this forest, that everybody can visit by programming walks by foot through the Levadas (water courses).
Lorbeerwald (Laurisilva)
Der Lorbeerwald (Laurisilva) stammt vom Ursprung her aus dem Tertiär, als ein großer Teil des mediterranen Raumes mit dieser Art von Wald bedeckt war. Heutzutage existiert dieser nur noch in der biogeografischen Region Makaronesien, welche sich aus Madeira, den Azoren, den Kanarischen und Kapverdischen Inseln zusammensetzt, wobei sich die größte und am besten konservierte Fläche auf Madeira befindet.
Der Laurisilva Madeiras verweist auf eine enorme Artenvielfalt sowohl auf Flora als auch auf die Fauna bezogen, die in enger Symbiose miteinander und mit der Umwelt leben: Vögel, viele endemische Weichtiere und Insekten.
Derzeit nimmt der Lorbeerwald, der seit dem 2. Dezember 1999 als UNESCO- Weltnaturerbe klassifiziert ist, eine Fläche von 15.000Hektar ein -in etwa 20% der Insel- entlang eines Streifens, der sich von einer Höhe von 300m bis 1300m entwickelt.
Calheta ist eine der Gemeinden, die Anteil an diesem Waldgebiet besitzt, welches bei einer Fußwanderung entlang der vielen, vorhandenen Wasserkanäle besichtigt werden kann, den sogenannten levadas.